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Union Falcor 2018-2019 Snowboard Bindings Review

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Travis Rice is a busy man. Aside from his efforts to raise the bar in both backcountry snowboarding and the way that it’s documented, he’s also fairly hands-on when it comes to the design of his gear. The Union Falcor snowboard bindings, for example, have his fingerprints all over them.

These things are built to handle the biggest, gnarliest terrain in the backcountry. It’s not just about response and vibration-cancelling, however; to really use these right, you should be looking to get as much airtime out there as you can.

“These things are built to handle the biggest, gnarliest terrain in the backcountry”

The highback’s solid central beam ensures you get amazing heelside response, but the Flux Capacitor-esque layout allows it to flex from side to side too. So when you’re boosting towards the take-off and prepping for a spin off the heels, you’re well supported, but once you’re airborne you can throw shapes and poke tweaks.

Naturally the Union Falcor bindings are designed to handle the heaviest of landings, too. The baseplate is incredibly strong – par for the course where Union is concerned – so you can fully trust these to keep it together when you’re stepping things up. It’s made from hard-wearing, lightweight nylon, and has been strengthened around the edge of the disc where it’s needed most.

The extruded aluminium heelcup is also rock-solid yet surprisingly light. You’d never be able to break it, even if you tried, which is why it comes with a lifetime warranty. You can set the ankle straps at various points along each side; just choose whatever is most effective for you and your boots.

“You’d never be able to break the heelcup, even if you tried”

Speaking of the ankle straps, the Falcor’s have enough padding to keep you comfortable without being too plush, giving you loads of response and ensuring you don’t have to work the ultra-light magnesium buckles too hard. As with all aspects of the Union Falcor bindings, the weight saving doesn’t come at a cost to strength.

Beginners need not apply, but bold freeriders who don’t just point it down route one should definitely check out the Union Falcor.

Tester’s Verdict

“Travis’ bindings felt super comfy and full of drive off the bat. You could definitely feel the direct response of the Y-shaped forged carbon in the highback, but because it’s combined into glass-injected nylon it wasn’t like being strapped to a stiff-ass wall – there was certainly enough flex in them to allow tweaking and buttering around.

“You could definitely feel the direct response of the Y-shaped forged carbon in the highback, but it wasn’t like being strapped to a stiff-ass wall”

The straps and full padding on the baseplate combined for a comfortable, responsive and chatter-free ride and the buckles were as easy to use as you’d hope from a quality binding – no frustrating sticking or fiddliness. Needless to say the Falcor felt super light, too.”

Trade Secrets

Travis Rice – Team Rider, Union…

“When I sat down at the drawing board with the Union crew, we had strict goals for the Falcor: Create a binding that is crazy light, yet super strong with a flex range built for nearly all conditions. This is truly MY binding.

Seeing the Falcor come into existence over the last few years, I couldn’t be happier with the team at Union and their dedication to building the best bindings possible.”

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